Star Trek: Discovery’s Big Threat Has a Major Voyager Connection

As Star Trek: Discovery’s fourth season builds as much as its endgame pitching the Federation right into a harmful first contact with a mysterious, extra-galactic risk, on the coronary heart of all of it has been a mysterious, planet-wrecking anomaly generally known as the DMA. But as we’ve realized extra concerning the anomaly, it’s revealed a stunning connection to Star Trek: Voyager—and a risk that might have main ramifications for the Star Trek universe.

What Is Star Trek: Discovery’s Dark Matter Anomaly?

In the previous few weeks since Discovery returned from its mid-season hiatus, we and the crew of the the titular vessel have come to be taught an increasing number of about what the “Dark Matter Anomaly” truly is. Early within the season, we found that the anomaly isn’t truly anomalous in any respect, and as an alternative a manufactured device being utilized by a mysterious species from past the galactic barrier, at present solely identified to the Federation by the designation “10-C.” It seems that the anomaly isn’t a weapon of struggle, even when its look within the Star Trek galaxy has introduced with it gravitic waves highly effective sufficient to tear planets close to to the teleporting, huge storm aside wherever it finds itself touring. It’s truly a extremely superior mining device, and it’s getting used to reap an extremely uncommon factor with a reputation acquainted to diehard Trek followers: boronite.

What is Boronite, and Why Is It Important?

Boronite was first launched within the 1998, season-four Star Trek: Voyager episode “The Omega Directive.” An factor that solely naturally shaped in extremely small portions throughout the identified universe, boronite was a key part in synthesizing an extremely highly effective molecule identified solely because the Omega molecule. Omega molecules had been theorized to be able to storing extremely huge quantities of power—on the time of Voyager’s setting within the late Twenty fourth century, the Federation believed a single molecule contained the equal power of a completely powered starship warp core, and even small chains of Omega may present power to complete civilizations for generations.

Omega’s huge downside was that it was additionally virtually inconceivable to maintain in a stabilized state for any time period. Experiments with Omega in secret by Federation scientists within the twenty third century had been in a position to synthesize a single molecule that destabilized instantly, and did so violently. Not solely did the following explosion destroy the analysis station the experiment was carried out aboard, killing lots of of individuals, the actual risk of Omega was revealed to have lasting implications past the speedy explosive aftermath of destabilization. Omega’s destruction left a tear within the material of subspace in its wake, a rupture that, even from the fallout of a single molecule’s destabilization, stretched lightyears from the the origin level of the explosion. The rupture in subspace prevented typical warp journey know-how—the creation of a secure bubble to permit for protected FTL journey—from getting used, and with the rupture seemingly irreparable, warp journey within the aftermath of an Omega detonation turned inconceivable seemingly eternally.

In the wake of its tragic analysis on the molecule, the Federation instantly enacted a cover-up, classifying the subspace rupture as a pure phenomenon, and made the very existence of Omega molecules a labeled secret identified solely to Starfleet ship captains and different high-ranking flag officers within the group. Known because the Omega Directive, the overall Starfleet order overrode even the organizations’ most vaunted rule, the Prime Directive, and tasked Starfleet captains with the authority to destroy a detected Omega molecule by any means vital. Omega, as uncommon because it was, represented the best risk to the Federation possible—if even a handful of molecules had been synthesized and destabilized, the injury to subspace rendering long-range communication and warp journey inconceivable may finish spacefaring civilization because the Federation and most identified species perceived it eternally.

What Could Omega Molecules Mean for Star Trek’s Future?

If Species 10-C is mining what uncommon pure situations of boronite are even accessible within the identified galaxy, there’s a very good likelihood they may have performed what no civilization within the Federation, and even past it, has ever been in a position to: create a sustainable power supply from correctly stabilized Omega molecules. Even within the superior way forward for the thirty first century that Discovery has discovered itself set in for the reason that climax of season two, such a revelation would replicate one of many biggest leaps in technological functionality Star Trek has seen from its regular Twenty second-Twenty fourth century settings in different collection. Even past all the opposite technological advances we’ve seen in Discovery’s current seasons, it’d be one of many few reveals to actually hit very long time followers with a present of simply how far issues have come—even when that know-how remains to be even wildly past the capability of the Federation in that point.

But the inherent energy of Omega molecules, if that is what 10-C are utilizing their mined boronite for, could possibly be applied simply as destructively, too. If the Federation’s first contact with the species goes unhealthy—and it would, contemplating final week rogue scientist Ruon Tarka destroyed the primary DMA with a really unlawful weapon—weaponized Omega may do untold injury to the Federation and the galaxy at giant. Beyond simply the efficiency of its power launch, Omega’s capability to destabilize subspace may plunge the Federation right into a darkish age even worse than the results of the Burn—which, on the very least, was an non-permanent barrier to most warp journey, and some extent of communication was nonetheless accessible throughout huge passages of area. Widespread detonation of Omega molecules may minimize off the civilizations of the galaxy from one another eternally, successfully bringing an finish to the Federation as an entity within the course of.

Whatever occurs as Discovery’s fourth season enters its endgame, drawing on a 24 yr outdated plot thread from Voyager—and extrapolating the potential horror of its worst end result—is one hell of a factor to hold a season on. With Seven of Nine on Picard, Kate Mulgrew’s Janeway returned in animated kind on Star Trek: Prodigy, and now this, it looks like Voyager is getting a second within the highlight in Trek’s present, shiny future.

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